


The Life and Times of Patton Sanders

by TheNameIsBritney



Series: The F Word (Family) [2]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Adoption, Big Brothers, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Loss of Parent(s), Teen Pregnancy, bb patton is so cute.....like i know i wrote him.......but hes so cute, there's only a lil bit of angst near the end and maybe a little at the beginning??
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-06-24 03:55:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19715722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheNameIsBritney/pseuds/TheNameIsBritney
Summary: In his 4 short years, Patton O’Connor - now Sanders - has lived through a lot.





	The Life and Times of Patton Sanders

**Author's Note:**

> !!! thank you guys for all the love that I've received for this story series so far! It warms me down to my very core <3 Here's another little instalment all about Patton and his past and his interactions with some of his brothers. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I admittedly don't know a lot about adoption but I did my very best to research as much as I could about it but if there's anything that I missed or got horribly horribly wrong, I'm very sorry!!! 
> 
> I hope y'all like this chapter <3 comments and kudos are appreciated!! u can also follow the progress of this series at my tumblr cause i upload everything there too hehe @romanticsanders
> 
> \- Brit xx

Emily O’Connor liked to believe she was a good person. She volunteered at the animal shelter twice a week (even though being near the cats made her sneeze relentlessly), she always helped her younger brother do his homework when his dyslexia made it difficult, and she always helped her mom wash the dishes after dinner.

Emily was a good person. She’d just…made a few mistakes. Mistakes that involved Brian Kennedy and a few too many wine coolers.

That’s why she was here now, with a social worker who was talking to her dad about what _kind_ of adoptions she would prefer.

“Sweetie? What do you think?” 

Emily looked up at her father and then once more at the social worker, she thought her name was…Helen? Or Karen maybe. She hadn’t realised she’d placed one hand protectively over her stomach.

“What?” 

Helen/Karen smiled kindly and pushed a brochure toward Emily.

_ADOPTION AND YOU: WHAT’S BEST FOR YOUR BABY._

“It is completely up to you what type of adoption you want to go through. Whether you want access to contact with the prospective parents or not.” Emily wondered how many times Helen/Karen had given this speech to other girls who were just like her. The number was probably too high to count by now. 

“I…” The word came out strangled and scratchy so Emily cleared her throat, pushing the brochure away. “I want a closed adoption. I-I was looking it up online. I don’t want to have any contact with the baby after…” She trailed off, almost unable to finish her sentence. She felt a warm arm go around her shoulders and Emily scooted closer to her dad. 

The social worker nodded and took the brochure back.

“I’ll set that up for you then. We have some prospective parents on file. I’ll let you take a look and maybe even make a decision today about who you’d prefer for your baby.” Helen/Karen asked, thumbing through a few neatly labelled manila folders. 

Emily took the first file off the top and opened it, her eyes only briefly skimming through the words in front of her. Her eyes fell to a little picture paper clipped to the top of the file of a smiling couple. There was something Emily liked about them. Maybe it was the fact that they looked so in love, even when they weren’t looking at each other.

Eleonora and Harold Sanders.

They would be perfect for her baby.

* * *

On January 14th, 2015, Emily’s water broke during English class and she was rushed to the hospital.

A little over 14 hours and a lot of pushing later, her son was born at 4:39am on January 15th.

“It’s a boy!” The nurse said, cradling him in her arms as he wailed. “Would you like to hold him?” 

“No, thank you.” Emily said, her face flushed and sweaty. Her hand was cramping up from how tightly she’d been holding onto her father’s hand so she let go, wiping at the sweat on her brow. “M-My adoption plan…the parents should be here soon.” 

The nurse nodded and took the baby away to get him washed and cleaned up. As Emily listened to the sounds of his cries getting further and further away, she sighed and closed her eyes, feeling her father gently press a kiss to her forehead.

She was doing the right thing.

* * *

The moment their baby was placed into their arms, Eleonora and Harold fell in love with his little button nose and his soft red hair, peaking out from underneath his blue beanie.

“Our little boy.” Eleonora said softly, leaning her head against her husband’s shoulder. “Patton Shea Sanders.” 

Harold smiled and kissed his wife’s temple gently before running his thumb down Patton’s soft cheeks, smiling when he made a quiet gurgling sound.

It was close to 5 in the morning and they were exhausted but in that moment, neither of them cared.

“Mom? Dad!” 

Eleonora and Harold both turned and saw their oldest son walking down the hallway towards them, a giant grin on his face.

“I told the nurse that I was your son and she told me where I could find you guys.” Roman said, running a hand through his hair and smiling. “I drove over as soon as I read your text.” 

Eleonora smiled at her son, who suddenly looked so much younger than his 23 years. His face was flushed with excitement and his eyes were sparkling as he looked down at his newest little brother.

“Roman, this is Patton.” Harold said quietly, taking the baby from his wife and handing him to Roman who cradled him expertly (he’d had practice after witnessing the births of 5 other younger brothers). “Your new baby brother.” 

“Dad, he’s beautiful.” Roman murmured, grinning when Patton opened his eyes and stared up at him, his mouth open and a hint of drool spilling out. “Hi, buddy. I’m your big brother. I’m gonna be your favourite big brother, too!” 

Roman took to Patton almost like a young father himself, cooing and cuddling him close. He handed him back to his mother and sighed.

“You guys must be tired. I’ll drive you back to the house.” Roman said, “I’ve been meaning to visit anyway. I left my sweater in my room and I wanted to pick it up.” 

“Mmm…Even though you moved out two years ago, it seems as though you’re over at our house more than you’re at your own apartment.” Eleonora remarked, lifting one of her hands and cupping her son’s cheek gently. “It’s okay to admit you miss us, honey.” 

Roman shrugged and blushed. He did miss them. A lot. He hadn’t realised that living alone would be this…lonely.

“I’m fine, mama. Lemme drive you guys home.” He said once more, squeezing his mom’s hand.

Eleonora looked at her husband who smiled and simply shook her head at her. She kissed the top of her newest baby boy’s head and nodded.

“We would like that. Thank you, son.” 

* * *

“C’mon, baby, smile for mummy!” Eleonora cooed, tickling Patton’s little tummy with her nails. “Is my bright little boy gonna give me a little smile? Hmm?”

“Mom, he can’t understand you, he’s like…a month old.” Virgil remarked, looking up from his phone briefly towards where his mom and Patton were sitting on Patton’s play mat. Patton was lying on his back, gazing up at Eleonora who was leaning over him. Despite his catty comment, Virgil couldn’t help the smile that grew on his face. 

“Well, Mr. Sourpuss, you first smiled for me and your dad when you were just 3 weeks old, and obviously you haven’t stopped since.” She teased, smiling warmly at her son who blushed and hid behind his hood. “Do you mind sitting with Pat for a sec? I need to get the laundry out of the machine.” 

Virgil nodded and walked over to sit on the floor by Patton’s mat. Eleonora turned him so the baby was laying on his tummy instead.

Virgil tried to get back to scrolling aimlessly through Tumblr but he could feel Patton’s eyes on him. He turned to face his baby brother, smiling slightly as his eyes dutifully followed.

“Are you gonna smile for your big brother, Patton?” Virgil cooed, imitating his mother’s ridiculous form of baby talk. He huffed out a quiet chuckle when Patton simply looked at him (almost incredulously, might he add). “Of course not.” 

Virgil reached out and gently touched the back of Patton’s hand with his finger. Virgil grabbed a small giraffe toy from just next to Patton and held it out in front of him, wiggling it slowly in front of his brother.

“Ah!” Patton cried, his eyes transfixed on the giraffe. 

Virgil chuckled and set the giraffe on the ground, pretending to make it walk around. Just then Patton looked away from the giraffe and looked up at Virgil.

Virgil looked away from the toy and dropped it when he saw a bright, toothless smile staring back at him. Patton’s first smile.

“Oh, my God.” Virgil mumbled, eyes wide as he crouched in front of Patton. “Are you…are you smiling? Are you smiling for me?” 

Patton blinked up at Virgil but the smile never faded. Virgil smiled back and pet Patton’s curls gently.

“Maybe you can understand me.”

* * *

“Logan,”

Logan hummed but didn’t look up from where he was highlighting passages in his science textbook. 

“Logan.”

Logan hummed again but his eyes were focused on the sentence he was reading. _Monosaccharide monomers are linked together by condensation reactions…_

“Logan!” 

Logan finally looked up and dropped his highlighter, seeing his dad stood at his door, holding a fully dressed Patton.

“Wogan!” Patton parroted with a giggle, making grabby hands for his brother. 

“Yes, dad?” 

“I need you to take Patton for a walk or…to get ice cream or _something_. He keeps running around the house and your mother and I are just…we need a nap, son.” Harold said, leaning against the doorjamb. “Please? I’ll give you some money and you can take him to that ice cream shop down the road.”

Logan sighed and closed his textbook, slipping it into his satchel. 

“Sure, I’ll take him.” Logan put on his satchel and reached for Patton who giggled and wrapped his arms around Logan’s neck immediately. 

Harold smiled and pat his sons cheek gently before reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a $20. 

“His stroller is-”

“I know where it is, dad, don’t worry. You go take a nap. We’ll be back in time for dinner.” Logan said, pushing his father lightly in the direction of his bedroom. Harold smiled thankfully and walked away, leaving Logan and Patton alone. 

“Wogan!” Patton said one more time, reaching out placing his little hands on Logan’s face, just as he’d seen his father do. “Wan I cweam?”

Logan smiled despite the minor inconvenience this unexpected trip posed on him. 

“Yes, Patton, I do want ice cream. Let’s go, shall we?” Logan said, walking towards the coat closet to grab Patton’s stroller. “Maybe I can get some studying done at the ice cream place.”

* * *

“What flavour do you want, Pat?” Logan asked, holding Patton up against the glass as he marvelled over all the different flavours, his eyes wide. 

“’Ookie cweam!” Patton cried excitedly, patting the glass gently. The person at the counter grinned at Patton and then at Logan, though Logan was a bit distracted picking out a flavour for himself.

“I’ll have a small scoop of vanilla in a cup, please.” Logan said, bouncing Patton lightly when he began banging on the glass. “And a small cup of cookies and cream for my brother.”

“Cone!” 

Logan rolled his eyes but smiled despite himself.

“A cone of cookies and cream, please.” 

The server scooped out their ice creams and placed them on a small tray with a stand for Patton’s cone, sliding the tray across the table to Logan who reached into his pocket in search for his father’s $20. 

“Oh, these are on the house.” The server said suddenly, a light blush covering his cheeks. Logan looked up and raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“What do you mean?” 

“I just meant…you don’t have to pay.” The server smiled at Logan who looked flummoxed in return.

“Oh. How come?” Logan asked, a small confused smile appearing on his face.

"Consider that smile payment enough.” The boy said before rushing off to the back. 

Logan watched as he went, a blush rising high on his cheeks. 

“I cweam!” 

Logan pulled himself out of his stupor at Patton’s cry and he smiled at his little brother, trying to recompose himself. He took the tray and sat him and Patton down at a table with a highchair and gave Patton his ice cream, enjoying his own whilst subtly sneaking looks toward the ice cream counter. 

* * *

“Open wide!” 

“Mm.”

Roman tried to keep his award-winning smile on his face as he held out a fork with a cooked baby carrot pierced on the end of it to Patton who was resolute in his fight against _carrots._

“Patton, please? Carrots are good for you, see?” Roman popped the baby carrot into his mouth and tried not to visibly cringe at the taste. And the texture. And the general _carrot-ness_ of it all. “They’re my favourite!”

“No!” Patton said firmly, crossing his arms. “No cawwots. I don’t want cawwots.” 

Roman sighed quietly, dropping the fork on the table and rubbing his face slowly. The pounding in his head was only getting worse and Patton’s tantrum certainly wasn’t helping.

It had been 3 months since…since Roman had moved back in. Since that phone call with the hospital made his life drastically different. 3 months of phone calls and arrangements and _“I’m so sorry for your loss”_ ’s. He was barely holding it together as it was. 

“Maybe you should like…blend it into his food or something.” Damien offered, not looking up from his plate of untouched food. “Then he won’t even know he’s eating carrots.” 

Roman sighed again and shook his head.

“No, I have to…I-I read that you shouldn’t hide the vegetables from him, or else it’ll make him not want to eat them more.” Roman said quietly, “something like that.” 

The rest of the boys fell back into silence, nothing but the sounds of metal cutlery scraping against ceramic echoing around the house.

“I’m done.” Virgil muttered, pushing his unfinished plate of food away from him and standing up.

“What? No, you’re not. You’ve barely- Hey, get back here, Virgil!” 

"You don’t get to tell me what to do, you’re not Da-” Virgil cut himself off before he could finish his sentence, his lower lip quivering dangerously. “Leave me alone.”

They all watched as Virgil ran upstairs, listening intently as the door slammed shut.

Roman sat back down and rested his forehead on his wrist. He could feel his breathing getting shaky, the pressure of six eyes weighing down on him like bricks. 

“I just…I’m trying here, guys. Okay?” Roman admitted quietly, shaking his head. “I know that I’m not…I-I never _will_ be _them_. I’m just…trying.”

The teardrop slipped out before he could stop it, hitting the wood table. Roman sniffed pathetically and wiped at his eyes, shaking his head. _Great, now I’m crying in front of them. Some role model you are, Sanders._

“Roman, look.” 

Roman looked up when he heard Thomas speak up quietly. Thomas’ eyes (and the other 4 boys’ eyes) were locked on Patton who was now holding a baby carrot in his little hand. Roman watched with bated breath as Patton eyed the carrot suspiciously, his mouth set in an adorable confused frown. 

Then…

He took a tiny bite out of the carrot, his nose wrinkled in distaste as he looked at Roman. Almost as if he was saying _hey, I’m doing this for you._ Roman grinned in disbelief, a quiet laugh escaping him. 

He knew he must’ve looked crazy with tears running down his face, laughing at his baby brother for eating a stupid carrot…but at that moment he couldn’t have been happier.


End file.
